The Arrival of the HOLY SPIRIT at Pentecost[1]

Human history is full of significant moments that we’d like to have seen firsthand. One such watershed moment was the original Pentecost Sunday.[2] There, in the holy city of Jerusalem in the Upper Room, was the Mother of the Church herself, Mary of Nazareth. Along with the apostles and disciples she was praying and waiting for the gift Jesus promised. Suddenly, unexpectedly, and powerfully, the Holy Spirit descended upon them bearing gifts. Since then, the world has never been the same. The Holy Spirit came to seal the new law and new covenant that Jesus came to establish and fulfill.

The Christian Pentecost event we read in the Book of Acts has interesting antecedents and parallels with other more ancient Pentecostal feasts. The first being the celebration that involved offering to God the first fruits of the spring grain harvest in a special sacrifice in the Temple. For Christians, we understand that the Holy Spirit himself is the first fruit of the harvest that has been yielded by Christ’s life, death and resurrection, no longer in the old, but the new and eternal Covenant. The complete and everlasting harvest, however, will be experienced in eternity though the first fruits are real and fill us with joy and peace in the Spirit already here on earth as his disciples. Then, the second ancient Jewish feast of Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks, was when Jews were invited to go to on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This was to commemorate their birth as God’s Chosen People, in the covenant Law which was given to them on Mount Sinai, via Moses, fifty days after the Exodus when God gave them the guiding Law after they escaped from Egypt.[3]

The Pentecost event in the Book of Acts of the Apostles, which took place fifty days after Easter Sunday. The Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples with a strong, powerful wind, and in the form of tongues of fire. This powerful moment is considered the birthday of the Church, or better yet, her public manifestation since “the Church was born from the pierced heart of Christ hanging dead on the cross.”[4] Let us reflect on who the Holy Spirit is as a Divine Person and how he is working in our lives. He is first and foremost God’s gift,[5] and since God is love, his first gift is love in the Person of the Holy Spirit poured lavishly into our hearts. That love is so powerful that it heals us of our spiritual woundedness by forgiving our sins. That’s the first effect of the love we receive. The second effect is that we are given, even now in our earthly dwelling, a pledge, a promise, a forestate, a “first fruit” of the eternal life we will one day inherit in heaven. Finally, by receiving the Holy Spirit, we ourselves are able to bear much fruit, called the fruit of the Spirit.[6]

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit together with Christ have accomplished a unique mission in the Church and now we all can share in the communion of the Holy Trinity as a result of this saving work. Specifically, the Holy Spirit “prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them to Christ.” Secondly, he “manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his words to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection.” Thirdly, he “makes present the mystery of Christ, supremely in the Eucharist, in order to reconcile them, to bring them into communion with God, that they may “bear much fruit.””[7] The Spirit is given to us and accompanies us on our journey of faith in the footsteps of Jesus. He gives us power to participate in the very mission of Christ. As we strive to fulfill that mission through our vocation, he provides for us great courage and strength in times of weakness; he offers supportive guidance to us in times of doubt; he never ceases to console us when we are saddened and heavily burdened by life’s troubles, and he always advocates, pleads our cause, as we pray to the Father through the Son. I often think of that beautiful spiritual saying of Fr. Olier: se laisser à l’Esprit — to abandon onself to the Holy Spirit. [8] Each day we do well to ponder this saying and incorporate it in our life.

The Holy Spirit goes by many names: most notably he is God, and the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. He cannot, however, be contained in just a few words or metaphors. Nonetheless, in the Scriptures and Tradition, many helpful intuitions are given to us. He is the love of the Father and the Son, Lord and Giver of life, Spirit of truth, Spirit of the Living God, Spirit of life, Advocate, Paraclete, Comforter, Convictor of sin, God’s Seal on his people, Guide, Indweller of believers, Intercessor, Revealer of truth, Teacher, Witness, Soul of the Church, and many more.

There are two ancient hymns to the Holy Spirit which are very rich in theology, poetic in composition and profound in meaning. We would do well to read them over, or sing them, and then ask ourselves how we can grow in intimacy with and be more docile to the Holy Spirit. We did, after all, receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism and then at Confirmation. He came to us with the seven sanctifying gifts as well as many other gifts called charisms. They equip us to assume our mission in building the Kingdom, witnessing to the Gospel, living in holiness of life, be pleasing to the Lord and fulfill God’s purpose, and glorifying him at all times by what we say and do daily. The first hymn is the 13^th C. medieval Sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus which we sing on Pentecost Sunday. The second is the Veni Creator Spiritus, composed in the 9^th C. and attributed to Rabanus Maurus. These two hymns constitute a masterful prayer which we would do well to use in invoking the Holy Spirit to come down to us and in us.

Anecdotal Illustration

Think of a symphony orchestra. It's made up of a hundred different musicians and dozens of instruments. The conductor is the visible focus of everyone's attention, both the musicians and the audience. And yet, is the conductor the real source of the music? No, the composer is. In front of every musician is a music stand holding a few pages marked with black dots - the score, the music. No one in the audiences sees the score, but that score is what brings all those minds together, coordinates everyone's efforts, and produces a beautiful, inspiring performance. That's what the Church is like. The Pope is the conductor, guaranteed by God to stay faithful to the musical score. We are all musicians, contributing our own unique talents to the symphony of holiness that resounds throughout the world and history. The Holy Spirit is the living musical score, the one who tells us what notes to play, when to play them, how fast to play them, how loud and soft. He is the silent force behind the power of every saint, every Christian, and the Church as a whole.[9]

Questions to Ponder

Who is the Holy Spirit to me and how often to I speak with him? How am I conscious that we receive the Holy Spirit in the seven sacraments,[10] being made a “new creation” in Baptism?[11] Do I consider myself as “living by the Spirit?” Am I able to willfully renounce some creatural vice so I can truly “walk by the Spirit?”[12] Since the Holy Spirit “builds, animates and sanctifies the Church,”[13] do I understand my role in being his instrument of communion, evangelization and of healing in the Church and the world? Do I call upon the Spirit of Jesus every day to renew my faith by invoking a fresh, new outpouring of his gifts upon my life and career, studies and school, ministry, marriage, family, home, work, archdiocese, society and Church, and country? How often do I ask him to rekindle the fire of his love in me, reawaken and reactivate the seven gifts and the other charisms so as to use them generously for the growth and spreading of Christ’s Kingdom? He dwells in us and empowers us, speaking to us in prayer and Scripture, inner convictions, gentle nudges and promptings. Am I convinced that fostering a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the Holy Spirit will lead me to a more fulfilling spiritual life marked by joy and consolations? Do invoke his help with faith when I pray or when reading Scripture or in making decisions?

[1] For a more fulsome explanation of the Holy Spirit, see the CCC, 683-747

[2] Acts 2: 1-47

[3] See Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-11

[4] CCC, 766

[5] Cf. CCC, 733

[6] Cf. CCC, 736 and see Galatians 5:22-23 for a list of the fruit of the Spirit

[7] CCC, 737

[8] Father Jean-Jacques Olier, founder of the Society of St. Sulpice

[9] See www.epriest.com

[10] CCC, 740

[11] Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15

[12] Cf. Galatians 5:25; Matthew 16:24-26

[13] CCC, 747